Pocono Mountain won't sell buildings to charter schools

If a charter school is thinking about buying shuttered Pocono Mountain School District buildings, then forget about it.

DAVID PIERCE

If a charter school is thinking about buying shuttered Pocono Mountain School District buildings, then forget about it.

The district will impose deed restrictions preventing three old schools listed for sale from being used for K-12 education.

The district is looking to unload three vacant structures: Barrett Learning Center (the old township high school) on Route 390 in Cresco, Coolbaugh Learning Center on Main Street in Tobyhanna and Coolbaugh Elementary Center on Route 611 in Tobyhanna.

The school board voted to offer to donate two of the buildings — the Barrett and Coolbaugh buildings — to the respective townships that originally owned them when township school districts predated formation of the Pocono Mountain District.

If Coolbaugh and Barrett townships supervisors aren't interested in taking them back, the structures will again be put on the market.

Barrett Township resident Ralph Megliola questioned the board on the wisdom of the no-school-use restriction.

"If you're going to sell the building you should get the most tax dollars," Megliola said. "You shouldn't limit the use."

Megliola said since the buildings were constructed as schools, someone seeking a school use might pay the most to acquire them. Otherwise a buyer will have to spend more to renovate the building for a different use.

School district attorney Jeff Tucker disagreed with that logic, saying potential buyers can use the buildings for a variety of uses. "I've seen buildings sold for non-school use," Tucker said.

The sales are being handled for the district by Michael Baxter and Associates.

The district, meanwhile is considering closing and selling additional buildings next school year.

One proposal calls for closing Barrett and Pocono elementary schools, while reopening Swiftwater Intermediate as a regional K-6 building.

Teachers union officials question the accuracy of population loss projections for the 2013-14 year.

Superintendent Elizabeth Robison said only 251 children have been signed up for kindergarten next year. This would leave the district's 26 kindergarten teachers with fewer than 10 students each.

The district had projected 622 kindergartners, Pocono Mountain spokeswoman Wendy Frable said. The district has begun radio advertising, in addition to print ads, asking parents to register their children now so the district can better plan, she added.

The new closure plan was the subject of a February public hearing. The school board is required to vote on the plan by May 29.